PONGAL
This comes under the postcard from India heading:
I want to tell you a little about the festival of Pongal which started yesterday and will go on for four days in total. Pongal is a Tamil harvest festival (Tamil Nadu is a large state in South West India; Lonely Planet says its the state which looks and feels like you imagine India will be) and it started yesterday. It's to do with cooking sweet rice pudding in an earthenware pot and allowing it to boil over: firstly though you should break your old pots and burn your old clothes. So it's a festival of renewal. The shops are full of people buying new kitchenware and clothes and it's traditional to give gifts to people you know. (The local people go round wishing you 'Happy Pongal' and holding their hands out!) Today the Sun God, Surya, was worshipped and tomorrow is Cow Pongal, when all the cows, bullocks, oxen etc will be washed and decorated, horns painted and wrapped in flower garlands. It's particularly auspicious for a calf to be born at this time. On the fourth day people visit their friends (and some people get drunk so you have to watch the road!)
In Tamil Nadu the housewives create a pattern in front of their houses every morning. This is called a kollam (in the north it's rangoli). Traditionally they would use rice powder - this would feed the insects - but now they use powdered chalk. Normally it's just white but for Pongal and other festivals they use many colours and create huge and beautiful designs. This is folk art at its finest as all the designs are produced freehand by the wives and daughters of the house. Last year I took many photos of these designs but unfortunately I didn't bring my laptop this year so I can't upload any of them. However I found this wonderful website which will give you loads more information if you are interested.
[link= http://www.pongalfestival.org/ ]http://www.pongalfestival.org/[/link]
Love
sunanda xxxx
RE: PONGAL
Hi Sunanda,
No problem. Where's that "girlie" smiley <searches> ... [sm=food-smiley-004.gif]No, wrong one. Er ... the Hugs smiley is gone! So - [sm=1kis.gif]It was interesting to 'hear' you balance out your own thinking, since your post did make me think I'd been 'holier than thou' too. OK so I was one of the Magic Bus brigade. So? The best option lies somewhere in the middle, yes.
Last night I read a lot into that book I mentioned. I know you'll love it when you return. "Indian Summer", Will Randall, Abacus, 2004. There's a superb chapter on him, an ordinary bloke who never heard of Osho, wandering innocently into this place where everybody is hugging, living off Daddie's money, spending all day daaaarling having aromatherapy etc, and twittering about these awful urchins who hold their hands out, how dirty!
But it's 90% about this so-moving account of the little children of the Pune slums. They are delightful, yet come from terrible backgrounds, so bad it boggles your eyes. The slums grow up organically starting as cardboard and tin, but over time people build with mud and brick. Yet they are all in fact on land owned by someone, and there's always the threat that the commercial owners of the land can instantly bulldoze down the whole 'town'. He's teaching in a little mud room about 12x8 as I got to last night. A real insight into Indian slum life, in the most heart-warming sense.
P.S. I might try telling Somerset people "Happy Pongal" then!
V 😉
RE: PONGAL
It's fantastic to read your posts Sunanda! Thanks for sharing. I'm glad you had a safe journey and I wish you well during your time there. You never did put me in your case did you!! 😉
I look forward to reading more..................
Love, light and blessings,
Guin x
RE: PONGAL
Hi Sunanda,
Glad to see you are enjoying your time in Tamilnadu. You may be aware that one of the most important Pujas in the Hindu Calendar takes place about 24 hours from now, as I write:
Saraswati Puja. Some details in :
[link= http://www.thisismyindia.com/culture/puja/saraswati-puja.html ]http://www.thisismyindia.com/culture/puja/saraswati-puja.html[/link]
That website states:
Next to West Bengal (where I come from) it is celebrated in southern states of India such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh etc. in schools, colleges and homes.
Have you experienced any celebration of the same ?
You mentioned The Hindu Newspaper on another post. I have no knowledge of the same. When I lived in India, a long time ago now, The Statesman used to be highly regarded. Have you come across the same? Here is its website:
[link= http://www.thestatesman.net/ ]http://www.thestatesman.net/[/link]
Take care. All the best.
Prashna